Awarding brilliant students with laptops was first introduced by Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif and then the success of the idea compelled the federal government to take it to the next level. Now Prime Minister of Pakistan has announced that 1 lac students of Universities throughout Pakistan will be awarded laptops.
This is not all but it is also planned that students will have free access to internet for four months. The plan to distribute 1 lac laptops among University students is final now. These laptops will be purchased from a Chinese company.
First shipment of the laptops will arrive to Pakistan till 15th of June 2014. In addition to the free internet access for four months, students using these laptops will be able to access HEC digital library which is a huge bonus as HEC digital library is one of the best resources for students who want to do research.
Who will get these laptops? Students of PhD, MPhil and B.Sc (Hons) will be eligible to get hold of these laptops. This is a popular and positive move by Prime Minister of Pakistan but the problem is that most of these laptops end up in the local markets showcased for sale.
Previously such laptops were found in huge numbers in local computer markets and government must make sure that the laptops reach students and not being smuggled to markets.
Secondly, the import of the laptops cost huge sums. Government of Pakistan must formulate a strategy so that these laptops can be made locally and thus reduce the costs of this project.
